Interview with Anton Sevidov. “The main complaint about Tesla Boy has always been that it’s a fake. What will the new album be called?

Moscow apartment of the founder of the Tesla Boy group Anton Sevidova, which has now moved from St. Petersburg and his girlfriend, model and DJ Dasha Malygina, is located near the Sokol metro station. When Anton was looking for a place to live, he looked great amount options, and everything was not right: the musician thought that he could not find anything better than his native Frunzenskaya Embankment. But when he got into this apartment on Novopeschanaya Street, Sevidov immediately realized that he wanted and would live here: “This is a Stalinist house, built with high quality after the war by captured Germans. It is notable for the fact that it has an attic. Actually, we live in it. For St. Petersburg, this thing is almost common, but in Moscow it is very rare. In general, it is like a small town inside a large metropolis, with its own fountain, park and alleys. And the courtyards are more reminiscent of Holland than Russia. "

The hosts do not arrange crowded parties here: after all, the space for this is not enough. One room is a sleeping room and the other is a work room, which contains a Petrof piano, synthesizers from Yamaha, Korg and Roland, a computer, drum machines, a yoga mat and a jump rope. “Since the inception of the Tesla Boy group in 2008, I have been at home less and less,” says Anton. - And I know the layout of the capital's airports so well that if they decided to sell them like apartments, I could become a realtor and take people for inspection: a capsule hotel where you can while away a few hours in case of a flight delay ””. Dasha confirms that with their crazy work schedule, the apartment is a nest in which they sleep and spend the most peaceful evenings, moving away from the hustle and bustle. “Anton plays concerts, I play DJ sets. Plus filming, screenings - we are constantly on the road, sometimes we see each other only a couple of hours a week, so our housekeeper sometimes meets us more often than we do each other. But sometimes we meet in other cities, if there is an opportunity, we break off on tour to each other, ”says Dasha.

The guys admit that they did not seriously design the apartment. They try to leave things in it that lift their spirits, objects that are valuable to them with their history. So, the library is the books that were collected by Sevidov's parents. His grandfather was a famous football player, his father started out as a hockey player, but left the sport in his youth, graduated from the Faculty of Law and even worked as an investigator for some time. “My father was an outstanding personality, and I consider him one of the most bright people that I happened to meet in my life. He opened one of the first disco bars in Moscow, on Kerchenskaya Street, for a long time was a bartender at the Kosmos Hotel, from where he periodically came with broken hands after a showdown with bandits. He could talk freely about 19th century painting and at the same time about Stevie Wonder's albums. He was a very sociable person, among his friends there were many musicians who often came to our house and sat until the morning, discussing the latest recordings and watching new videos. " The canvases on the walls of the apartment are the work of Father Anton. And here is the picture "Girl with a Bear" - a gift from producer Sasha Markvo: it was painted right in a cafe by film director and artist Rustam Khamdamov. Even the vinyl records are from the collection of the father and grandfather of the frontman Tesla Boy. All these things create the character of the apartment.

Thinking about your dream home Dasha and Anton decide that this should be a place somewhere near the sea, where it is always warm, there is no winter. A building with a large and bright terrace, where you can gather all your friends. “I have never felt at home anywhere, always and everywhere only a temporary place of residence or hotels in different cities,” admits top model Malygina. - In the 1990s, when I was very young, my parents found an abandoned house on Nekrasov Street in St. Petersburg, broke down the door, and as a result we lived in an attic with an exit to the roof. Then we moved in the same house to a huge apartment in which I skated and in which my mother had a studio where she made the first collections of the Pirosmani brand. There were rolls of fabric, sewing machines and my mother’s paintings everywhere - the atmosphere was so inspiring that I learned to draw at an art lyceum, studied music, studied Italian language, ran on the rooftops of St. Petersburg, read a lot. Since childhood, I wanted to do everything I could, and be like my mother - strong, purposeful, ambitious and independent. Later, after becoming a model, in New York, I lived in ten different locations throughout Manhattan. With my travels, I do not stay anywhere, but when I come somewhere where there is a sea, only there I rest, there is a feeling of home comfort. However, we cannot live without work, so the dream house can be held until old age, but there will definitely be a dog and a huge bed. "

Anton also likes the lifestyle that he leads:“Endless tours, airplanes and travel are completely fine with me. I can get tired physically, but the picture in front of my eyes is constantly changing and does not have time to get bored. I can't imagine how I could stay at one point for a long time. From a certain point in my life, I have no attachment to home. I really like to live in hotels, I like places that are not connected with the past and in which there is a feeling of a blank sheet. "

The leader of the Tesla Boy group told us why he absolutely does not follow fashion, does not go on election tours, and at the same time suggested when the swampy stagnation in the country would end.

Natalia Suvorova

You have just returned from Sweden and are going to perform in Lithuania and other countries soon. Is Tesla Boy already so popular in Europe?

I certainly can't say we have a 1989 Depeche Mode band or '68 Rolling Stones. But every week - yes, we have concerts, and what is doubly pleasant, in recent times more and more often in Europe, and not only in Eastern, but also in Western. The other day we played in a small town in Sweden, where the Popadelica festival was held, and if at first there were not many people, then by the end there was a full house, and people wanted more and more.

When creating the group, did you initially target a Western audience?

If the word "guided" means any expectations, then yes, these expectations were more associated with Western Europe... But to my pleasant surprise, in Russia we were very well received.

And outside Moscow and St. Petersburg too?

Well, in the regions, of course, the number of people interested in modern culture is slightly smaller, but nevertheless, there are cities where there are a lot of them. For example, Novosibirsk, Perm or Izhevsk - it can generally be considered one of the main cities in Russia where electronic and dance music is loved. I don’t know what it’s connected with, it happened historically. Sometimes I did not expect such interest in us in many cities - not in the sense that some city is less or more developed, but simply due to the total absorption of space by Russian pop or rock music.

I believe that music is one of the most powerful and good medicines for the soul.

You have Belarusian and Serbian roots, you have many friends in Georgia and other countries. How did this whole international mix affect your music?

I did not analyze what and how influenced me. But of course, communication with people from different countries- this is a powerful experience, after that you begin to feel life in a different way. It's one thing when you know that there was a war in Yugoslavia, and saw the bombings on TV, and how the former Prime Minister Primakov turned the plane on the way to America - in general, this is all some kind of virtual history. But it's another matter when you arrive in Serbia, and the promoter who meets you tells how he was walking in the center of the city, and suddenly the market flew into the air before his eyes. The usual grocery market is scattering because the NATO military thought it was a barracks. And after being told such things to you, you feel and understand much more.

You once said that music no longer impresses you as much as it did two years ago. During this time, the music scene has become less interesting, or is it a matter of your personal perception?

I think it's just such a period now. Now there is a kind of swampy stagnation, a process of accumulation of new ideas, forces and energy, after which a new surge should come. The music has certainly not gotten worse - on the contrary, the problem is that there is a lot of very good music, and people stop appreciating it as much as they used to. Just two years ago, there were several places where all the time there was a feeling children's party... Now this is not the case anywhere - neither in Solyanka, nor in Simachev, nor in Strelka, that is, people come to some concerts, but there is no inspiration. But according to my feelings, a new wave will come by autumn and winter, and everything will be no less exciting than before.

Tell us, what was the last time you had a fight in the group?

I think the guys in the group were quarreling over who should put the cosmetic bag in their luggage.

And who won?

I don't know who won, but in the end I had to pay for the advantage. (Laughs.) While the cosmetic bag was not mine, I don't have a cosmetic bag!

The main thing for a man is the ability to do what he really wants.

While we're on the subject of cosmetic bags. Do you think a man needs to follow fashion?

It depends on the man. Everyone has their own fashion sense. Every time I am surprised when they say to me: “Anton, you are a style icon, many are trying to imitate you, you are so passionate about fashion ...” In fact, this does not correspond to reality at all. Just due to the fact that my girlfriend is from the world of fashion (she is a model), and there are friends who are engaged in clothing design, I am a little aware of certain trends. But again, I don’t understand anything about this and I don’t understand anything. In general, I am very impressed with people who do not overdo it - they look restrained, but elegant. This, incidentally, applies to women too. Pretentiousness does not make a person more beautiful.

What qualities do you think a real man should have?

It seems to me that the main thing for a man is the ability to do what he really wants. It is necessary to create something and achieve the intended goals. This does not mean that you always have to go ahead - in the end, as the Japanese wisdom says: "The samurai who decides to defeat the tsunami will be defeated." So it’s not worth fighting against the tsunami, it’s better to wait it out.

Tell me, do you follow politics?

In my opinion, in our country, music and politics are two parallel lives. I don't have a single friend or girlfriend who watches TV. Although many people have been talking about politics more and more often lately, I don't see any influence of politics on music. In addition, many musicians will surely appear on the eve of the elections, who will be bribed by large fees and trips on election tours. But Tesla Boy is far from it all.

What if you were invited to a pre-election tour?

And they called us. We are regularly called, but in principle we do not participate in such events.

If I wanted to change something in society, I would initially go into politics. But I am a musician, and I believe that music is one of the most powerful and good medicines for the soul. So I have another occupation. I'm kind of a shower doctor.

And what can knock you out of a calm state of mind?

When a neighbor watches MTV all night.

As I understand it was recently?

You are discerning. But a box of liqueur chocolates decided everything in my favor. He not only made the sound quieter, but even moved the TV to the kitchen.

What is the best dope for you?

Doping? Probably falling in love, and as a result, passion. And falling in love and inspiration, as a rule, arise from the image female beauty... In this regard, I am absolutely banal.

And romantic.

Well, our obligatory question: how are you doing with self-destruction? Alcohol, drugs, other madness?

(Smiles.) I have no problem with that.

When you say Tesla Boy you mean Anton Sevidov, when you say Anton Sevidov you mean Tesla Boy. Anton in this story - the main character, who invented the band in 2008 and moved it forward, changing members along the way, but staying true to the musical style. "Teslaboevsky" electropop, the sound of which is known to visitors to intellectual parties, raised in the 2000s new wave Russian English-language music. Tesla Boy EP, The Universe Made Of Darkness, Moses, plus a dozen separately released singles and more remixes. In 2016, the group managed to perform with a full "soldout" of tickets, lay out new album and present two absolutely dissimilar in style to the previous video clips. Further more?

Now Sevidov also works on songs, texts, arrangements, but goes beyond the activities of one musical group: he writes a solo project or, for example, works in a theater. Philip Avdeev's play "The Sea of ​​Trees" was staged at the Gogol Center, where Anton was in charge of the music. He also played one of the iconic roles - the Ninja of Destiny.

- This experience was absolutely unique for me, unlike anything else. It all started when the guys just invited me, as a composer, to write music, and everything resulted in my acting debut. Of course, it was wildly interesting for me to see how the actors work. I was lucky to see young talented guys who, I believe, are in the vanguard of modern Russian theater and cinema, this is a great happiness. I think that there are some good moments in music, we even with the guys plan to record several songs that sound in this performance and release them as an audio recording so that everyone can listen.

There are many parallels with music here. Anton notes that staging a performance is in many ways similar to recording an album. Rehearsals begin from the moment when there is just material, roles, monologues, mise-en-scènes, in the process all this is drawn and sprouted with new details and important nuances. To lead to its logical conclusion requires titanic work and days spent in the theater from morning to night.

The question is brewing, who is he - Anton Sevidov - on the music scene: is he the same as in life or does he embody the image of a certain “lyrical hero”, a character in the entire work of the group?

- Having acting experience, I can say that on stage, a person who goes out and sings his songs, in this case - Anton Sevidov, he is close enough to me, at least this is some part of me, very important, in which -this sense is defining. Not all that is human that I have, I have the opportunity to show on stage, but nevertheless I would not call my performances a game. Of course, there is always some kind of image that is strongly in tune with my inner state and is quite close to my real one.

Two latest clips Tesla Boy Nothing and Circles were directed by Ryan Patrick. In their style, they are completely different from the previous videos of the group. “These are, perhaps, the first two works, which, by and large, satisfied me. I like that this is a collaboration of people from different countries and different cultures, ”says Anton Sevidov.

In his image, Anton Sevidov, like other members of the Tesla Boy group, is quite natural and comes close to what he looks like in ordinary life. Skinny jeans, leather jackets, T-shirts with the symbols of festivals, Ray-Ban clubmasters - all these things from the singer's wardrobe have moved into the category of concert looks.

- As for clothes, going on stage, I always try to find a balance between imagining how it will look from the outside and making me comfortable and at the same time putting me in a certain frame. If you go out in a tracksuit, you will have a certain mood, you can perform songs in a certain way. In an ironed suit, white shirt and bow tie, the same songs will be sung differently. I like to play with it, reserve the right to be free here. I very often, before certain concerts, for a short time before the start, I try to understand in what state I want to perform: so that it would be an ecstatic frenzy, or so that today everything would be laconic and sincere. There is room for maneuver here.

So for the concert in the "House of Press" Anton has not yet decided on the costume. In Yekaterinburg, Tesla Boy will perform with a new program, which will definitely include an acoustic part ("A little more piano than usual"), presentation of the new album Moses EP and the still quite fresh single Avoid, which has already managed to be loved by everyone.

- I remember one of the first Tesla Boy performances, when we played in the then still working 2KU. This was one of our first tours. We were already quite famous, but still there was a feeling that the Tesla Boy was still a purely Moscow story. Nevertheless, in Yekaterinburg we saw people who sang our songs - this is a memorable experience, incomparable. I always remember this. Now we are looking forward to the upcoming concert.

Text: Ulyana Tomshina. Photo: archive of the group, photo on the cover: Artem Vasiliev. Interview organization: Tele-Club Touring.

- You performed at the Afisha Picnic for the first time seven years ago. What changed?

I'm afraid my assessment will be inadequate. There is a feeling that the music at the Picnic is not so important anymore. As a musician, I am somewhat upset - in 2009 everyone stood at the stage and absorbed everything that comes from there. Now people with their families choose clothes and walk around the food court. In 2009, there was a feeling that pure endorphin was in the air and everything was in a slightly altered state. Because Roma Mazurenko sits and says: "And the cool band Late of the Pier, let's bring it?" And after 4 months they perform at the Afisha Picnic. It seemed that all the most important is happening here and now. Maybe younger guys have this feeling today. As a person you are more immersed in hip-hop, can you see it there?

And I can see it not only there, but also in techno that has infected the capital's youth. And in the audience listening to Russian rock, unexpectedly rebellious and equal to the samples of the 80s, it is very unkempt, low-quality and, as it seems to me, ideally corresponds to the current crisis moment. Just like the English-speaking indie pop and indie rock corresponded to the wonderful and relatively well-fed time of the early 10s, when we believed in the theory of small matters and imagined that we exist in the same world with Europeans and Americans.

At least there was such an illusion, yes. And now, in your opinion, there is no such thing?

I just want to ask you about this. Because I just re-read the interview that you. There, the point of view was very convincingly defended that one could be in dialogue with the world, sing in English in Russia, and so on. But then came 2014, and with it Crimea, sanctions, confrontation with the West. In this regard, have there been any doubts that you are doing everything correctly?

Doubts did not appear, absolutely sure. I still had the feeling that I was not what I should - I just want to do it. Another question is that 2014–2015 really became a time when a feeling of alienation and separation arose. It's funny that even in America I met young people who said: “Yes, yes, this Putin of yours, he is cool, now there will be cold war, now you will be a very cool fight. "

- So they are inspired by it?

Yes, and for them this is all an absolutely virtual game. They also have a difficult situation: it is not clear what will happen next, everyone sighs for the times of Reagan, I even saw the poll "Who is the coolest president?" - and it was not Kennedy or the first great presidents who were leading, but Reagan. Because never again did Americans feel so strong and cool. Despite the fact that the dude was just an actor, looked like a preacher and spoke spectacular phrases about the Evil Empire, and this is a story about the fact that politics is a show.

This is the sound of Tesla Boy's most recent release, EP "Moses", which was released a few days before this conversation.

On the other hand, Ivan Dorn is even more difficult situation because he sings in Russian and here in Ukrainian. I remembered about him because he was in response to the question "Who do you consider your competitors?" ... Do you see yourself with him in the same field?

I think we have so different music and different story… Actually, I am glad that a new generation of musicians is emerging. For example, I am very inspired by Parks, Squares & Alleys. This creates the right background. In Moscow, after all, it often happened like this - you go to some cafe, and there is "music for the toilets", and in New York you go into the simplest bar, Morrissey plays there. These seemingly little things are very important, they are constantly dripping onto your brain and creating a coordinate system on your subconscious.

And about the political situation ... My good friend Zhenya Filatov, The Maneken, produces the Onuka group, which over the past two years has become national stars and almost a symbol of a new stage Ukrainian history with her movement to Europe. But they cannot perform in Russia, because they immediately begin to persecute them in their homeland. My new EP has the song “Whatʼs Going On” - I wrote it in August 2014. It was the moment when you realize that where we played a concert 6 months ago, where friends live who love our music, to whom we love to come, - now there is a war there, and no one declared it.

- Still, to Dorn: do you feel like an artist of the same scene with him?

No, probably not. It seems to me that we are somehow different in general. In general, comparisons are a thankless task and they are not always correct. Let's just say, I'm still not talking about taking some currently fashionable styles and exploiting them. It will sound very pretentious, but I want to hone my handwriting, draw my style. This is already a little successful, at least with the new EP. Although some fans have already written that the song is similar to "M83", and I even understand why - because of the sample that sounds over the voice. In general, if we disassemble it in parts, we can say that the harmony here is similar to Blood Orange, here the drums are from Prince, here the melody is like that of Phoenix. But in the end it turns out something different.

At the last Afisha Picnic I practically did not see, so to speak, fashionistas

If you were shooting a film that would mythologize Moscow at the turn of the 2000s and 10s and this Moscow music scene, which is equal to the West, then who would be the heroes of this film and what would you tell about them first of all?

The first person who comes to mind is a person who, unfortunately, is gone - Roman Mazurenko. It is difficult to say whether he was the trigger for changes, for which everything was ready and all that remained was to put up a match, or it turned out that he was just at the right time in the right place. But, of course, he is one of the heroes of that era and it’s a pity that he is not there now.

It is rather difficult to explain today who Roma is. Not to call him a party promoter - this concept does not include everything that he did. These are cool texts, concepts, and ideology. Roma seemed to be connected to some kind of super-high-speed Internet channels, with the help of which he was absolutely on the same wavelength with what was happening in the West. Absolutely, he knew how to spin stories around himself that will be remembered for a long, long time.

An amazing fixation of the moment that characterizes Moscow at the junction of the 2000s and 10s - Anton Sevidov and the famous English producer Mark Ronson play four hands at a party in the recently opened Strelka.

2015 was the year when Roman Mazurenko, Lookatme website and Afisha magazine died simultaneously. There was a feeling that some fat point had been set, a page had turned, another life had begun.

Agree.

- It is interesting in this connection to find out how easy it is for you in it?

It's like in childhood you look into the Kaleidoscope tube, twist it - the picture changes. And now the picture has changed. You know, one of the main complaints about the Tesla Boy group has always been that this is a fake, a parody, an unviable artificial story. But if this were so, then we would have sunk together with this era. It's nice to indulge in nostalgia, to talk about how cool it was then, and to be sad that it will never happen again. It will not happen again, but there will be something different. At the last Picnic, I practically did not see, so to speak, fashionistas.

- This has been the case for quite a few years.

Yes. It is believed that the main hipster group is Tesla Boy. But at our concerts, they are ordinary students, young guys, who are normally dressed in modern fashion, and not "mods" with some amazing things from second-hand and Balenciaga on their feet. And there are no more fashionistas at the Picnic either, it is really a closed page. Do not be sad that now we do not see any unusual bows that we would like to put under the heading “Bows from Afisha Picnic”. In general, I have a feeling that such things as family and home are becoming the values ​​of the new time. Previously, all this was very snobbish, everyone was lonely, independent, career. I see confirmation of this at the Picnic, where there are more people with children than ever before.

It would be interesting to talk about this with eighteen-year-olds who are laughing at a concert, or with people who are dancing to techno. By the way, this is where you can still shoot.

You can build all sorts of conspiracy theories about this in the spirit of "Better dance than go to Bolotnaya". But even I, a person who rarely goes out, notice how much the youth is now in an altered state. Last time I saw this at the age of 15-16, when you leave the Frunzenskaya metro station, and junkies near the Youth Palace are selling ecstasy. It was 1996.

- The golden years of the Russian rave!

Yes! In 1995, I heard electronic music, and the tower collapsed badly. I then studied jazz piano at Ordynka, but mine dark side wanted to dive into a rave. I walked past this Youth Palace, and it was a really hot place, the facade of the building just shook from this barrel, which, as a rule, did not slow down below 130 BPM.

Well, the audience there was appropriate: ravers, bandits, all mixed up, drove up in Mercedes, threw in pills. I managed to be a resident at MDM for a whole year. The most funny story was associated with the need to announce DJs. Timur Mamedov performed with us, legendary character, who all the time moved with a retinue of people at 15-20, reminiscent of a sect. He basically did not play from vinyl, but only from DAT cassettes. So, he comes to the stage, his assistants turn on these DAT recorders, I ask: “Timur, it's very nice, Anton. How to announce you? " He says: “Very simple, very simple. Aerodance-sound-systems, Theater Kvassa rave performance are presented by: Timur Mamedov, XP Voodoo, rave keeper ”.

- He had already shaved half of his head then?

Yes Yes! Interestingly, that club culture left nothing behind, except for a few DJs like Sanchez and Kubikov, and even the Propaganda club. There is no cult of those heroes, the glamor of the 2000s has covered everything. I wonder which of the heroes of the 10s will remain in people's memory.

Speaking of heroes - from your point of view, a person like Prince, who is obviously one of your heroes and who left this world this year, and a person like the hero of the current era, Kanye West are figures of comparable scale. ? By how influential are they themselves and their musical ideas?

The rational part of me tells me that, probably, yes, these are figures of equal size. But we are still attached to our background - to the point from which you look at everything else. Probably, Kanye for young people, cut off from the context of the music of the 80s and even 90s, is a figure absolutely equal in scale to both Prince and the great black jazz musicians. Indeed, he has very cool ideas, freedom, arrangement and production courage is visible in this. He is a very talented dude and is definitely very charismatic. I like the way his relationship with show business is built: that one person can mock this colossus so easily. I understand this and admit it with my mind, but I will not lie, I cannot sincerely feel with my heart.

Prince was once asked about contemporary music, he replied: "Contemporary music is made by children for children." There's something about it. If you take the TomorrowWorld festival, where I once had the imprudence (and at the same time the honor) to play a DJ set, then Kanye West, compared to what was played there, is just Beethoven of our day.

Was there commercial EDM?

There was EDM everywhere and some kind of trap. It made me very sober. Because you see 50,000 young guys standing at a stage as high as a 10-storey building, from which fiery tongues of fire are figuring out and fountains falling, a lot of light and a sound that I have never heard before. And a teenager comes out, opens a laptop, presses the "Play" button, and he has a trap, and people are like: "... this ... this is just ...!". And you stand: "What the fuck is going on here at all?"

With your head you understand that this is a natural process. Likewise, in the 1980s, computers and sequencers appeared that made it possible to record music at home: then the whole union demanded that all this be banned and limited, because musicians were losing their jobs. There is an Australian musician Flume, his musical instrument- this is a laptop, with it he collects stadiums. An excellent musician, by the way - I would single out him and James Blake from the point of view of musicality as such bright spots in this modern movement.

And about Kanye West, I don't know, but do you perceive him as a genius? I have at least one person on Facebook who fights for Kanye West all the time, it's very funny.

I don’t know if I hassle for him, but I have been listening to him since 2004, from the first album, when he was still a beatmaker, who successfully wrote music for Jay Z and suddenly suddenly picked up the microphone. To me, he certainly seems to be the most powerful figure - yes, contradictory, complex, funny and yet the most powerful.

The manager who worked with us in America is a black guy. And we argued with him on this topic. I asked him directly: "Explain what is his genius as a musician?" He then told me a very important thing: “You see, when a dude achieves such success, it is very important for us. He was one of us, so his success is also our success. " They support him very much, absolutely no questions asked. But this is a typically American thing, which is not even very clear to us, among other things.

The freshest on this moment Tesla Boy's "Nothing" video was filmed by Ryan Patrick - the same person behind Fantasy's most watched video

- On the Facebook of the Tesla Boy group, the location is now indicated as "Moscow - New York" ...

Hmm, New York needs to be removed. It's just that two or three years ago I spent a decent amount of time there. And it was such a sign that the international.

There is also a myth that the Tesla Boy group regularly performs in the Americas, where they gather huge venues. At the same time, it is not clear ...

It is unclear why we see him all the time on the Chamberlain, right?

- Almost. It's just that this is the kind of thing that someone tells you, but you yourself cannot check it in any way.

Well, yes. These myths sometimes seem ridiculous to me. There is a myth that we are constantly mistaken for foreigners, that we are much more popular abroad than here. Although actually our Facebook page, do you know where the majority of the subscribers come from?

- I will assume that from Moscow.

No. From Mexico. Sometimes Russia comes out on top, and when we just started, for some reason America and Los Angeles were in the lead.

- What are you doing to move to the American market?

We are not doing anything special. We have a booking agent who clogs up concerts. There is a manager who does about the same thing as a manager here: a record comes out, he contacts several publications. Otherwise, everything somehow works by itself. In general, there is a more streamlined system and a clear division of labor. Unlike Russia, where the manager is engaged in both PR and concerts, and also goes on tour with the group. As a result, the person overstrains, begins to hate the artist, tells you that you are a tyrant, and leaves for another musician.

For the last six months I have lived with the thought that I will finish the record and I have to go there. Because a lot of things are decided in person. Because I feel potential and passion in me. I don’t want to say that we are about to tear America apart. No, I just have a desire to gain a foothold there. It is important for me that music lovers all over the world know who the Tesla Boy is. Another question is that someone doesn't like it, but everyone knows. Now I want a wider mass of people to know about us.

Plus I have a desire to reach a higher level - to really create something unique and valuable. You've probably heard this story, with which everyone jokes at me: "Oh, you erased the album again!" I had a Tesla Boy album ready a year and a half ago, but I just decided not to release it, I pressed the “Delete” button. At the same time, I understood why one song would work, who would like the second, but this is boring, these are templates. Therefore, my new release is like this, so I want to go to the Western environment, where there is more music, more competition, more musicians from all over the world.

The case when the video was shot, and the historical document turned out - 2010, "Strelka", old lineup Tesla Boy, Roman Mazurenko dancing in front of the stage, intense nostalgia.

- But you need to push harder with your elbows.

On the one hand, you need to push with your elbows. On the other hand, there is a feeling that there is a place for everyone. Here's an example of Gosha Rubchinsky, who offered the Western world Russian brutality and fashion gopnism. And he became a star. Do you know what is the most popular Russian band in America? Pussy Riot. I ask: "What songs do you know?" They say to me: “We don’t know the songs, but they play some kind of punk and are very cool”.

So I don’t know what else to say about America. You know, I realized in the end that I would not want to live there. New York has great concerts, but it's the most dreary city in terms of club life. Moscow today, on the other hand, has a very vibrant nightlife, which is confirmed by the New York DJs who come here.

Here's what else I wanted to ask - the past interview with "Afisha" began with the author's eyeliner that this is a conversation with the leader of Tesla Boy, the most fashionable group in Moscow. How true is this statement now?

You know - no, I don't feel like a member of a fashion group. I really like that we have become just a group that is, that makes its own music, and people come to its concerts. We modern group, which makes contemporary music with some, in the opinion of the famous critic Nikitin, a retro-tilt. Do you have a feeling that we are a fashion group?

Not anymore. Although the group is historically very fashionable. In this regard, it is interesting to know if there is some kind of tyranny of the artistic director who, well, obliges everyone.

In the last couple of years, if this is not a performance at Vecherny Urgant, where the picture is important, the discussion of the stage image looks something like this: “What will you be wearing today? In a black T-shirt or a white one? " "I'll be in black." - "I'll put on a white one then." I laughed a lot when I read somewhere about Anton Sevidov's neatly shaved beard in the context that, look, everything is very calculated here and even this allegedly unshaven beard is actually very correct and neatly corrected by the stylist. Okay, well dressed at least fashionably, already something. Here in these "ribok" and expensive pants from Uniqlo for 800 rubles. It's important to stay in flow.

Childhood

Born into the family of the famous football coach Alexander Alexandrovich Sevidov (grandfather) and football player Yuri Sevidov (uncle). As a child, Anton was also associated with sports: he played tennis at the Dynamo sports school. [ ]

At the age of 8, he accidentally auditioned for the Vesnyanka choir, and was invited to join the band. During the year he was engaged in parallel tennis and singing, after which his parents suggested that he choose one thing himself, and Anton settled on music. [ ]

At the age of 9 he got into the experimental department music school them. Stasov, whose main feature was that in addition to classical subjects, jazz and rock were studied here. In the study of rock music (it was called "Rock Ensemble") there was large collection synthesizers that interested Anton. There he began to study them, and then he got his own synthesizer, and he began to compose his first compositions, while studying vocals and piano. [ ]

Carier start

At the age of 12, Anton managed to become a student of the famous Soviet jazz musician Mikhail Moiseevich Okun, musician of the Oleg Lundstrem Orchestra. At the same time, he performed in the "Morning Star" program, where he reached the finals with compositions in the genres of jazz and soul, performed songs by Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles. Participated in the Talents of Russia program, organized at that time by the former chief director and creator of the Jewish Chamber musical theater Yuri Sherling, within which he first went on tour in Japan and Poland [ ] .

At the age of 14 he entered the 1st year of the State Music College of Variety and jazz art(was formed on the basis of the pop department of the Gnessin Music College) in the piano class. There Anton gathered his first group Citric Acid... This group performed at jazz festivals, played in Moscow clubs. Anton also briefly played in the Arsenal group of Alexei Kozlov. The latter had at that time one of the most progressive home studios, and he taught Sevidov the mastery of musical programs of the new generation. From that moment Anton became interested in electronics and recorded the first acid jazz tracks inspired by Jamiroquai, Freak Power and Norman Cook. [ ]

At the age of 16, Anton's father died, who largely contributed to his musical endeavors, and from that moment Anton was forced to do a lot of DJing, played jazz in restaurants, and also made arrangements for other artists to support his family, since his mother did not work. [ ]

In 1997, he won the Grand Prix at the Crystal Note competition, with all the $ 10,000 prize money he bought equipment: Technics DJ turntables and a sampler. [ ]

In 1998 he graduated from college with honors and at the same time received the Grand Prix of the Crystal Tuning Fork competition in the Best Jazz Composition nomination. After that he entered the Gnessin Russian Academy of Music with the teacher Igor Bril, which he never graduated from. Then I got to Andrey Bochko's Studio (it was completely analog), where I studied vintage synthesizers and began to record material, but later it never came out. [ ]

First projects

In 1998-2002 he played in the ensemble of jazz saxophonist Anatoly Gerasimov, soloist of Duke Ellington's orchestra, also known for having recorded the soundtrack for the film "Liquid Sky" and played with Auktsyon and Aleksey Khvostenko. In 2001, he played keyboards while recording the album Spleen "25 frame" at Andrey Bochko's Studio, where he recorded a version of the song "Fellini" on the electric piano, and also collaborated with BI-2 in a remix project. [ ]

Over the years of creativity, Anton has accumulated many songs, so in 2002 he collected new group under the name "Neonaut" together with Alexey Belyaev, Boris Lifshits and Nikolai Sarabyanov, and they began touring Russia. The work of this project was not very similar to the previous ones: it was not electronic, but guitar music, inspired by the songs of Radiohead and Muse. In 2003 guitarist Ilya Shapovalov joined the group. The team performed at various festivals, including "Invasion". [ ]

In 2003, Anton's mother died, which became a great personal tragedy for him [ ]. His feelings found their expression in the song "My Tear". [ ]

In 2004 Anton changed the style and sound of the band, returned to electronics in the style of the eighties and new wave. Neonaut signed a contract with Universal Music (Russia) and in 2005 went to record an album in Berlin with Chris Corner, but due to a change in management, the studio did not want to release it, so Anton posted the Breathe Me album online, and the project was closed. Nevertheless, the song "Happened" became a hit on radio stations in the Baltic States. [ ] .

Tesla boy

By 2007, Anton had accumulated many new songs, which he began to record. Then Anton lived in an old Stalinist house on the 2nd floor above the transformer box. A friend who came to visit once joked that Anton has a special relationship with electricity, and this affects his music, and also compared the artist with Nikola Tesla. Therefore, Anton named one of the songs Tesla Boy, after which he recorded a demo of it, as well as a demo of the songs Fire and Electric Lady. [ ]

A year later, in 2008, bassist Dmitry Gubnitsky joined him. They first performed in a duet at a party on the ship, where they were invited by Anton's friend and asked to perform their compositions live. Since the name of the group was needed to perform at this event, Anton and Dmitry chose "Tesla Boy" as such. In the same summer, they performed at the exhibition of the photographer Jabah Kahado. In autumn, Boris Lifshits joined the team, with whom Anton played together in Neonavt. At first, the group gave several small concerts, and in 2009 the first open concert was held at the Mio club, after which many people learned about Tesla Boy and wrote the popular Western music blog Valerie. After that, the group received an offer from the British label Mullet Records to release a mini-album of five tracks. The "Tesla Boy EP" hit the web in winter, was officially released in September and remixed in the fall. The team performed at major festivals- Picnic "Afisha" and STEREOLETO, as well as in the club "Solyanka", their songs were played on BBC radio. In the same year, "Tesla Boy" was recognized the best group according to Lookatme.ru. [ ]

In 2010, the group was joined by guitarist Konstantin Pokhvalin and drummer Mikhail Studnitsyn. With this line-up, "Tesla Boy" released the album Modern Thrills, which was presented at the "Strelka" club. The band again performed at the Afisha Picnic and EXIT festivals in Serbia with Midnight Juggernauts. Then the group went on their first tour to Barcelona. In late 2010, Tesla Boy performed at the Insomnia Festival in Tromso, Norway, and Radio Maximum played the songs Spirit of the Night and Fire. [ ]

In 2011, "Tesla Boy" toured Scandinavia (Sweden, Finland) and released the track "In Your Eyes" on the French label Kitsuné. The collective also performed with the group "Hurts" during their tour of Russia. [ ]

In 2012, the band toured New York City, where they performed at Webster Hall and the Full Moon Festival. In May, VICE magazine presented the single "Fantasy", and in September a video for it. In the same year, the single and the video "Split" were released. [ ]

On May 21, 2013 the release of the album "The Universe Made Of Darkness" took place, immediately firmly entrenched in the tops of iTunes in Russia, the USA, Mexico and Europe. Three presentation concerts in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Kiev brought together a total of more than 15 thousand fans of the group. Anton and the group went on tour: twice a year to Mexico, as well as on a big tour of the United States in September. In the summer of 2013, a video for the song "Undetected" was released, presented on the website of Jay-Z. Also in 2013, the band took part in a joint tour of Russia with the Cut Copy group from Australia. [ ]

In 2014, on the waves of the Megapolis FM radio station, the weekly Tesla Boy Radio Show started, in which Anton Sevidov and Leonid Zatagin shared their favorite music and their own releases with listeners. In addition, the group released two singles, two video clips and a disc with remixes on last album"The Universe Made Of Darkness", in support of which Tesla Boy performed NIGHT TOUR in 11 cities, in each of which full houses were gathered. [ ]

In addition to regular performances in Russia, Tesla Boy performed at foreign festivals such as Escapemusicfest, Mysteryland in the USA, AIM Festival in Canada and others. [ ]

In 2015, Tesla Boy had an almost finished album in the works, but Anton erased the recording, and the group began working on new material with a new sound. After that, the single "Nothing" was released, which marked a new round in the development of the group. At the end of the year, "Tesla Boy" embarked on a mini-tour of four US cities (Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle). [ ]

In 2016, the collective gave a big concert at the Gogol Center on March 20, where they presented new program... Around the same time, the band presented the music video "Nothing" for the SXSW Austin Festival and the Berlin Music Video Awards. In the summer, the band released their new EP "Moses" with five songs, as well as the video "Circles" (directed by Ryan Patrick). [ ]

Current activity

At the end of 2016, Anton received an invitation from the Gogol Center and wrote the music for the play "Sea of ​​Trees" based on the play by Lyuba Strizhak, which premiered in 2017. In addition, in this performance, Anton also plays the role of the Ninja of Destiny. [